SUMMARY
- Denise Long, the first woman to get drafted in the NBA was selected by the San Francisco Warriors as the 175th overall pick and 13th round selection in 1969.
- She attended Union-Whitten High School and it did not take long for her to become a household name as she averaged 69.6 points per game as a senior.
Denise Long Rife is a name that is worth all the praise in the basketball world. She is the first woman to ever get drafted into the NBA which is undeniably a big achievement on its own. This historic moment happened more than five decades ago and should be more widely known. It is saddening that only a limited number of people are aware of Long Rife and her incredible story.
Notably, the NBA Drafts often come with a wave of surprises, and the same happened in 1969. In the same draft wherein Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was picked as the first overall pick, Denise was selected by the San Francisco Warriors (now known as Golden State Warriors) as the 175th overall pick and 13th round selection. Back then, the San Franciso-based franchise was owned by Franklin Mieuli who made this revolutionary decision.
Interestingly, fifty-six years later in NBA season 2025, the Warriors will somewhat repeat history. They are set to bring the first-ever WNBA team to the Bay area. As the current season is slowly drawing its curtains, fans are more excited to witness this extraordinary moment happen right in front of their eyes in the next season. Just the thought and imagination of this gives goosebumps, imagine how it would be to actually experience it.
Denise Long Rife averaged 69.6 points per game as a senior at Union-Whitten High School
It is quite common now for athletes to get drafted into the NBA straight after their high school year. However, back then it was neither a common practice nor allowed yet Denise Long Rife became the first woman to get drafted in the league in 1969, and that to straight after a stellar high school career. She attended Union-Whitten High School and it did not take long for her to become a household name.
In 1969, Denise Long from Union-Whitten HS became the only woman ever drafted to the NBA(13th round by the Warriors). She averaged 69.6 ppg her senior year and scored 111 in one game. pic.twitter.com/ELPEt6B2Rj
— Heritage 17 (@17Heritage) April 24, 2021
Notably, Denise who is nearly 6’ tall recorded 100 points in a game on three different occasions. Her high school career stats were as impressive as it was possible. As a senior, she averaged 69.6 points per game which caught the attention of the basketball world. Additionally, Denise who grew up in the small Hardin County town of Whitten collected 6,250 points in her high school career.
Did Denise Long Rife play in the NBA?
The fans must be wondering if Denise Long Rife, the first woman to get drafted in the league got to play in the NBA or not. Unfortunately, the answer to that would be a no as the pick was nullified by the commissioner. It was likely because of her gender as well as the fact that teams were not allowed to pick from high school. Further, it is also worth noting that no written rule prohibits women from entering the league.
Furthermore, Denise was the first but not the only woman to get drafted as in 1977, the New Orleans Jazz drafted Lusia Harris. She didn’t end up playing either and is said to have shown disinterest and later fans got to know that she was pregnant at that time. Bringing back to Denise, everyone must be wondering where is the first woman who got drafted into the NBA. Turns out, she is a retired pharmacist and is 72 years old.
